“Mustard on the beat, ho!”
West Coast hip hop acts YG and DJ Mustard are ready to drop some sick beats in Philippines as MTV, a unit of Viacom Inc., announced that they are joining the 2015 MTV Music Evolution’s artiste line-up, which currently includes Naughty by Nature, Gloc-9, and Abra. They are ready to bring some of the hottest new sounds to the hip hop scene with their West Coast flavour.
YG and DJ Mustard (born Dijon McFarlane) are no strangers to each other, as the latter is YG‘s main producer and has executive produced his debut album, “My Krazy Life”. Drake, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, Meek Mill, and Nicki Minaj were featured on the album, which was listed as the best rap album of 2014 by Billboard and peaked #2 on Billboard 200, #1 R&B/Hip-Hop, and #1 Rap charts.
Since then, he made a steady rise from an upstart Compton rapper with star potential to a bonafide star. The 25-year-old Compton-born rapper now has his own record label and is currently also co-signed to Young Jeezy’s CTE World.
At the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards, YG won “Best Collab, Duo or Group” while DJ Mustard was named “DJ of the Year”, “Producer of the Year” and “MVP of the Year”. YG’s “My Hitta”, which Mustard produced, also won “Track of the Year”.
DJ Mustard is one of the most sought after producers with a litany of hit records under his belt. His array of beats has been said to be creating resurgence of gangsta rap in West Coast Hip-Hop. His debut album, “10 Summers”, peaked at #14 on Billboard Rap chart and #20 on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart upon its release. It was also the most downloaded album during the summer of 2014 on Google Play. Big Sean’s Mustard-produced track “IDFWU” also peaked at #1 on both US R&B and Rap chart in 2014.
Some of the biggest names in the industry have approached him for beat-making as he took over the airwaves with a peak of 7 songs hitting the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the same time in 2014. So far, he has nabbed collaborations with Fergie, Jennifer Lopez, B.o.B., Ludacris, T-pain, Wiz Khalifa, Trey Songz, and more. He has also performed to sold-out crowds and performed at major music festivals.
YG and DJ Mustard will perform for the first time in Asia through the first edition of MTV Music Evolution. Recorded live for global telecast under the MTV World Stage global series to an international audience of more than 3-quarters of a billion households in over 160 countries, the free-entry music event is set to take place at the historic Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park in Manila on 17th May 2015 (Sunday).
It will open its doors at 3pm, with the event commencing at 7pm. The entry wristbands are not for sale and may be won by fans through a series of activities hosted via MTV Music Evolution website and MTV’s social media activations (e.g. Hip Hop Selfie). Free entry can also be obtained at the MTV Music Evolution roadshow from 8th to 9th May at Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita and through activities organised by MTV’s partners.
Additionally, MTV announced that Manila-based graffiti artists, Chichi Monster, Nick Automatic, Egg Fiasco,and Chill will share their interpretation of music and street culture in the form of 4 giant 3D MTV logo structures on 24th April 2015 (Friday) at Eastwood Mall, Quezon City.
The showcase will also feature turntablists on deck, hip hop, and street dance sets. The completed 3D MTV logo art installations will pop up across different city hotspots in Manila, such as The Collective, Glorietta 4, and Quezon City Circle as part of the build up to the MTV Music Evolution 2015, before making its final display at the MTV Music Evolution event. One of these art pieces will be roaming the streets of Manila on the back of a truck.
If fans are able to take a selfie or wefie with any one of the four MTV logos with the hashtag #mtvmusicevo, they stand a chance of winning free entry to the show.
MTV Music Evolution 2015 is sponsored by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), supported by media partners WhenInManila.com, Circuit Magazine and Play FM, and audio partner, Dolby.
Hosted by MTV Asia VJs Alan Wong and Hanli Hoefer, the main show premieres on-air on 30th May (Saturday) at 6pm (TH/WIB), 7pm (SG/PH), 8pm (MY). Viewers are advised to check local listings in other markets.
For more information, visit MTV Asia’s official Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter.